"Whatever you say." I grit through my teeth as I look out of the window of my apartment. It's peaceful and quiet outside. A little snowfall closer to nightfall makes it even more beautiful, reminding me of my childhood. I'm really tempted to go out, especially since it could help to calm down my annoyed ass. My father chose the worst time ever to call me. Like he always does.

"Not whatever I say, Colton." He exclaims, sounding as if he's losing his patience as well. Asshole. "This party needs to be perfect."

"Then why do you need me?"

"Because this business will be yours one day!"

"Why? Did I ever show even the slightest interest in it?" I smirk, pressing my forehead to the cool glass and closing my eyes. "Helen is a way better option. She will be-"

"She's just my fucking employee, while you're my son! What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Fine," I say, barely holding myself back. "Choose Chloe. She's your daughter."

"I have never acknowledged the paternity of that kid. Officially." He snarls and I tighten my jaw. "She has no right to be considered as my heir. Her mother signed all the papers. You know that. Everything I have is yours."

"Should have thought about it before knocking up your secretary."

"My secretary that you, not so secretly, were drooling over? My secretary you fucked too?" And here he goes again. Whenever his arguments are short-lived or weak, he tries to put the blame on me... and it never works.

"I fucked her once. It was the worst sex of my life." I turn around and lean my back against the window. "I said I would come to your party. I said I would play the role of your perfect son. Leave me the fuck alone till then."

"Who are you planning to bring with you?" He asks, breathing hard. Usually we continue arguing until one of us ends the call, but that's not what I want today. Even if he pisses me off to no end. "Rose said you asked her to add a plus one to your name."

"I did." I confirm, feeling my phone ding with an incoming message. It should be from Ava, but I don't want to check it now. I have no desire to mix my happy thoughts with the ones my dad causes in my head. It's like trying to swallow something sleek, washing it down with Pepsi. Disgusting.

"Who is she?"

"It doesn't matter. You will meet her next week."

"I need to know who the slut is that you're planning to bring to my party-"

"Call her that even one more time, and you will never see me again. Am I clear?"

He's silent, and it makes me smile even if my fingers are itching. I want to punch him in his damned face so much! That man thinks he has the right to call her names, when he's the biggest moron I have ever met. He's a fucking hypocrite. Period.

"Don't be late. It's important." Father finally rasps and ends the call.

I stand still, playing with my phone, throwing it up in the air over and over again. He put me in my usual state after speaking with him. One where I don't want to do anything and don't want to see anyone. I heave a sigh, push myself off of the wall and saunter to my bathroom, leaving my phone on the table in the living room. I want to take a bath, soaking my body after practice and also washing away the repulsion I feel towards my father. It's sickening how much he affects me.

Once the bath is full, I close my eyes and lean my back against the tub. The feeling is amazing, emptying my mind and helping me to relax my sore muscles. The water is hot and my apartment is quiet, and I slowly nod off. Just for a few minutes.

"Colt?" I snap my eyes open in total bewilderment and see Ava sitting on the edge of my bath. She's wearing a white hoodie and jeans. Her hair is collected in a high ponytail and her cheeks are still a bit red from the cold air and windy weather. Where did she come from? "Did anyone ever tell you that falling asleep while you're taking a bath is dangerous?"

"No." I sit up straighter, roaming my eyes over her beautiful face. Since we returned from our winter break, things between us progressed a ton. I gave her keys to my apartment, and she comes over to my place a few days a week for sure. Whenever she feels like it. We haven't even had a single argument, just spending time together and enjoying each other's company. She still says we're not dating, but honestly? I don't care. I know she's mine and I'm hers. All these labels don't mean a thing. "What are you doing here?"

"If you read my message, you would have known I was going to come to your place." She murmurs, trailing her eyes down my chest and biting her bottom lip. And my horny girl is back. Though not that I'm any different. I'm insatiable when it comes to her. And it's only with her because there is no one else like her. She's my personal addiction, sweet and spicy at the same time. An explosive cocktail, but I will be damned if I stay away even for a day. "Layla and I went shopping and I wanted to show you what I bought for your father's party."

"You bought a dress?"

"I didn't say I bought a dress." She corrects me, and then gives me a cute beam. "Fine, it's a dress. I love it."

"Will you show it to me?"

"Nope. Layla took it with her to the dorms." Ava narrows her eyes slightly. "Should have read your messages."

I watch her intensely, and then leap forward, grab her around her waist and pull her to me. She shrieks as her body smashes against mine and water starts spilling out of the tub. Her shocked expression is worthy of every trouble.

"Colton, dammit! What the hell?!"

"Will you stay?" I ask her, pressing her to my chest. Her clothes are soaked, and her ponytail is wet, but to me she's fucking perfect. Always.

"I don't have any spare clothes with me. Now I have to stay." She breathes, winding her hands around my neck. "Not that I had any other plans."

"Good." I tell her, inching closer and kissing her full lips. She has some lip gloss on, and before her I hated when girls I kissed had any of this on their lips. With her? I don't think there is anything I will ever not like about her. She's like the most exquisite drink and I can't get enough of it. Wanting more, demanding more and she's happy to play along. Quite a submissive little kitten I have in my arms, who sometimes turns into a tigress. It's better for her not to know it, but being at her mercy is my favorite thing.

🏒💥🏒💥🏒

"You're sure you wanna do this?" I ask her a thousand times and she rolls her eyes.

"Yes, Colton, I wanna do this." She exclaims, pouting her lips and looking at me under her knitted brows. "I bought this dress to make a lasting impression on your dear father and his bitch. I'm not going to back down now."

"This dress definitely has left a lasting impression on me." I rake my gaze over her body, wetting my lips. It's a sleeveless light-blue dress with a low neckline, and it hugs her body like a glove. A glove I want to take off. "Can't wait to tear it off of you."

"The word tear and this dress shouldn't be in the same sentence, Mr Thompson. I spent way too much money on it for you to ruin it." Ava tsks, pressing her fingers to the elevator button ready to call it. I slide my hand around her waist from behind and pull her back to my side. "Aren't we already late?"

"I don't care."

"Colt, you said yourself, your douche canoe of a father told you not to be late." Her voice becomes softer as she leans her back on my chest. "I know this party isn't where you want to be, so why do we need to make it even worse for you?"

"Why are you always right?" I kiss her neck, my fingers flying all over her skin making her shiver.

"You would be surprised at how many times I have been wrong." She laughs, glancing over her shoulder at me. "Let's go. I will keep you company."

I give her a smile and tug her to my side, lacing our fingers together. "Better keep me sane. The things this man does and says make me go crazy. If I don't hold myself back, it could get really ugly."

"Whatever you want, Colt." Ava gives my hand a squeeze and pushes the button to call the elevator.

Stepping into the big and spacious room, I feel the eyes of a lot of people on Ava and me. Pleasant music plays in the background, but the murmurs and whispers grew louder. It doesn't really look like they were expecting me to show up. Most probably my dad fed his guests a fairytale about his son being a successful sportsman, who couldn't join his marvelous party because of his responsibilities. At least now hockey came in handy for the asshole. I can't believe there were days when I thought he was interested in my career as a hockey player. I was a naive idiot for sure.

"Should we go meet your father?"

I scan the room, meeting his cold stare. I did as I promised. I showed up. I smirk and slowly stroll in his direction with Ava. "He probably won't be nice. Don't pay any attention to him or anything he says, okay?"

"Sure." She sing-songs the word, and I'm more than certain that she's not going to behave. Ava is a spitfire, and she always does what she wants. Tonight is the first time I can only hope it will end well.

As soon as I near my father, I want to go back and drive away from this place. Helen is by his side, with a flute of champagne and predatory smile playing on her lips. Her eyes are glued to my face and I feel uneasy... I should have told Ava the whole truth about that woman. She's a trainwreck.

"Is that Helen?" Ava whispers, when we are only a few steps away from them. They are with my father's partner, Mr Kavano, talking business and making salacious jokes. Like always.

"Yeah." I swallow a lump in my throat and square my shoulder. Please, God, give me the strength to pull this off. I don't want Ava to see me at my worst.

"Colton? Is that you?" Mr Kavano sees me approaching them and turns to greet me, extending his palm for a handshake. "It's so great to see you again!"

"It's very nice to see you too, Jacob." I shake his hand and step back, as his eyes instantly land on Ava. A sparkle flashes behind his irises, as he allows himself to check her out. Stupid motherfucker! He's twice her age, and he still looks at her as if she's a prey. "My my! What a beautiful girl you have here! Eric, your son definitely won the jackpot with a girlfriend like this one."

"Not sure she's his girlfriend." Father mutters under his breath. "He barely has time for his studies, he spends all of his free time on the ice. No girl will ever replace hockey in his heart."

"Depends on the girl." I blurt out, and notice my father's eyes grow round. Dammit! I definitely didn't plan to spill the beans to him and his clique. "Ava is my friend. We aren't dating."

"Such a pity." Helen purrs, still smiling like a Cheshire cat. "You always needed love and affection, it's sad you can't find it with girls your age. Or younger."

"He's perfectly fine without a stranger telling him what to do or how to feel." Helen's smile fades away as soon as Ava's words leave her mouth. Then she focuses her attention on my father. "I'm Ava. It's nice to meet you Mr Thompson. I heard SO many things about you... The award for best father in the world definitely won't be yours."

"I bet," he says lazily, but his eyes are betraying him. He's surprised with Ava's behavior and her choice of words. Total defiance and forwardness. Her presence at his party also intrigues him because it's obvious I would have never asked her to join me if she didn't mean something to me. "It's nice to meet you, Ava."

"Someone lacks manners, and-" Helen hisses, and my father interrupts her, handing her an empty glass. What a nice way to point out the place she belongs to in his life? A servant. Maybe a mistress, nothing else. She will never be his equal, and will never take my mother's place.

"Thank you, Helen. You can go and relax." He growls and she nods her head, turns around and saunters away from us. She never even tries to argue with him, or stand up for herself. She accepted his decision immediately when he told her he wasn't going to acknowledge her daughter as his, and asked her to sign a carefully prepared agreement. With one signature, she left Chloe without the right to get any of my father's money unless he gives her some himself. She got financial support from him, but it definitely could have been more. My mom would have never done that to me. "So, Ava, tell me a bit about yourself. My son has never brought anyone with him. Ever. It makes you the exception."

"Because I am." She grins at my dad, and I see his right eye twitch. Oh man, I'm going to enjoy this party way more than I ever thought. Bringing Ava with me was the best decision ever.

The more time goes, the more at ease I feel. Ava and I are inseparable, talking to guests, trying new food. With how often I notice my father's eyes on us, I know he's watching. Though the smile on his face creeps me out. I hate seeing him so pleased with himself when I know what happened to Mom because of him. He ruined her life, and continues to live as if nothing happened. It shouldn't be like that. He needs to pay for what he did, just like Helen.

"Do you mind if I use the bathroom?" Ava murmurs in my ear, and I nod my head, continuing talking to Mr Nichols. He's one of the oldest partners my father has and he's a smart guy. I enjoy talking to him, he makes everything more interesting. Even debating with him about oil prices and how it affects the world's economy is always a challenge. He knows so much and isn't afraid to share his knowledge. I have often wondered how he could be partners with my dad, and I honestly still question it. It's hard to find two more different people than they are.

"Your girlfriend is gorgeous, Colton." He whispers to me with a smile, once Ava left us. He looks excited like a kid, and I break into a lopsided grin myself. My girl is gorgeous indeed.

"She's perfect." I confirm, hiding my hands in my pockets because my palms suddenly started sweating. I deliberately don't correct him, keeping it to myself that she's not my girlfriend... because his words are like music to my ears.

"What are her plans for the future? Have you talked about it already?" He bombards me with questions, and I have no idea what to tell him. "If you go play for the Sharks, will she go with you?"

"She's a freshman, Mr Nichols. Wherever I go, she will stay in college."

He's silent for a few moments and then puts his hand on my shoulder. "Then enjoy the time you have with her. Long distance relationships at such a young age? It never works... talking from personal experience."

I force a smile and nod my head. Not something you want to hear when all your life changed for the better because of one girl. The girl I can't imagine my life without and I will do anything to make her stay... Now, my heart is aching. My vision blurs and all that I hear is a white noise. I'm ready to leave this place ... but I need to wait for Ava. I desperately need her. "Erm... I need to get going, Mr Nichols. I never promised my dad that I would stay till the end."

"You certainly didn't."

We shake hands and I walk away from him, hoping to find her right away. It's the first time since my mom's car crash that I have come to one of my father's parties and stayed for this long. And I even really enjoyed myself. All because she was with me, and now I don't want anything else except her in my arms. She's my lifebuoy and I'm drowning without her.

I take another step forward and Ava blocks my way. The first thing I notice is her eyes. Their color is deep and stormy, not even a hint of her playful mood. She tries not to show it, but with how her chest rises and falls rapidly, I know she's angry. I frown, pinching my brows together. What happened when she was in the bathroom?

"I was looking for you."

"And I was looking for you." I echo her and extend my palm to her. The shortest hesitation flickers behind her eyes, but she still lets me take her hand in mine. Even if it's limp. Her mind is elsewhere, and if I learned a few things about her already, I can't do anything to make her open up to me if she doesn't want to. "Ready to go back to our hotel?"

"Yes." She smiles, but it's so fake so I want to shake her. What the fuck happened to my girl while she was gone? "Do we need to say goodbye to your father?"

"No." I whirl around, dragging her away with me. "He should be happy I agreed to come at all. He doesn't deserve a proper goodbye."

When she doesn't say a word in return, a cold sweat breaks all over my body. I only hope she will talk to me... because if not, I have no idea what I should do to fix things between us without knowing what happened. Discovering the truth about Egypt's pyramids sounds easier than cracking Ava. She's a tough bitch as she loves to say, and tonight I'm afraid I have to agree.